Self Belief Is The Foundation to Launch A Dream

Self Belief is the foundation to launch a dream. When all else fails and things look like they are falling apart, often we crumble under the emotional shock of betrayals, losses or situations simply not working out. That's when we need to calm down and look to our inner self for that Self Belief that is crouching under confusion, and gently coax it to be brave and come out again.

Produced for K Luminus by I Like Entertainment. Executive Producer & Director: Irriesse Chia

I was introduced to Kris Kim around November or December 2014 by a good friend who owns a recording studio. Didn't think much about Kris, only that I was told that he was a fairly well-to-do Korean living in Malaysia, who was self-financing his pop album. He wanted to be a pop artiste. Don't we all?

My good friend calls me up one day, saying I should meet Kris, who had been recently disappointed in his venture, and he wanted to recommend me to to help Kris continue with his dream to launch his album. Some unfortunate incidents, too private to mention here, had left Kris groping alone, as he had relied wrongly on some professionals. Not only had work not been produced in acceptable style and quality, but he had also been abandoned in the process.

I am a trained musician, in addition to being a TV entertainment producer & director for years. I had produced many singing competitions, beauty pageant & talent search throughout the years. I also did my best to help expose some of the young and confused talented people whom I had met through those shows, taking them to meet people, and trying to get some events for them to appear in.

I was a senior producer at the TV station, not about to accept the fact that we were discovering talented young people who had no further chance at grooming and career opportunities, I had drafted a talent management proposal and submitted it to at least 2 of my bosses then. But my proposal was rejected as I was told the company was not prepared to commit resources, in addition to it not being our "core business."

Therefore, I hadn't had an actual experience producing or managing an individual singer or artiste before.

Delighted, finally, at the chance to do something exciting with music, developing an artiste, producing albums and shows.... at the same time, I was mentally, emotionally, spiritually and also financially challenged to take on Kris' project -- to help him launch his debut EP and upcoming music concert within 3 months!

I worked alone, and with him, exhaustingly asking friends for advice along the way, establishing an artiste positioning and direction, drafting profiles and proposals, calling media etc.

First time facing the media as new pop artiste, 28 Jan 2015

After being inspired by another event, I organized a small media preview for Kris Kim at his music school, the K Conservatory of Music in Mont Kiara, and treated reporters to a preview of Kris Kim's piano and singing performances, as well as to sumptious Korean-Malaysian fusion food at his K Cafe.

Entertaining the small audience at his music school recital room

Interviewed by reporters after the Media Preview

Even though it was small, I considered it a daunting task in a country like Malaysia where a pop artistes' career is faced by little opportunity for exposure, let alone introducing a Korean classical pianist who now wants to launch himself as a Kpop artiste in Malaysia!

A great write-up by New Straits Times after the Media Preview

The write-up by Guang Ming Daily 光明日报

The write-up by Oriental Daily 东方日报

The write-up by Sin Chew Daily 星洲日报  

With the media preview & media write-ups successfully launched, an artiste is born. 

With record label executives non-committal and vague, contrary to the normal practice of holding a concert or performing showcase only after we launch an album, we decided to just move forward ourselves and hold our own music concert.